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> As far as demilitarization goes, it seems the Ukrainian fleet, air defenses and bases have been mostly destroyed by stand-off weapons, and an encirclement man
by sofixa 5y ago
> As far as demilitarization goes, it seems the Ukrainian fleet, air defenses and bases have been mostly destroyed by stand-off weapons, and an encirclement maneuver is appearing (North and South prongs).
But many former civilians were recruited and armed, some airbases are still operational, and drones are wrecking havoc on Russian logistics. The encirclement has been appearing since day one, and has only advanced from the south..
Ukraine cannot win in traditional terms ( counterattack and push back), but they can surely win by crippling enemy morale, dealing devastating and unsustainable losses, and in general making the war too expensive to continue ( let alone a possible occupation). And that's going splendidly!
- ncmncm 5y agoIt may be that Putin's ultimate goal is just to take the south, and actions north and east are mainly to draw resources away from the southern front. Actually holding ground north and east might not be worth the cost, but demolishing them costs much less than it costs Ukraine. Ukrainians will be on the hook for decades to rebuild them, no skin off Vlad's nose. People in the north will be much more strongly motivated to drive Russians out of the north than to attack holdings in the south, down to the Black Sea. Only taking the fight into Russian cities would give Putin anything to worry about.